On April 8, the Michigan State University Canadian Studies Center hosted the Hon. Caroline Mulroney, president of the Ontario Treasury Board and minister for Francophone Affairs for the province of Ontario, for a visit to the center's office in the university’s International Center and a meeting with President Kevin M. Guskiewicz and university leadership about the MSU-Ontario partnership.
Joining Minister Mulroney and her team were Earl Provost, agent-general with the Ontario Trade and Investment Office in Chicago; Deb Muchmore, chair of the Michigan Chamber of Commerce; and State Representatives Joe Tate and Jasper Martus, longtime friends of the center who attested to the important academic, cultural and economic ties between Michigan and Ontario.
“MSU and Ontario, as well as the whole of Canada, are critical partners in MSU’s research, teaching and outreach,” said Rebeca Malouin, director of the Canadian Studies Center. “We have memoranda of understanding with several universities in Ontario and look forward to deepening and expanding these partnerships for the mutual benefit of students and communities on both sides of the Michigan-Ontario border.”
After touring the Canadian Studies Center, the minister, agent-general and guests joined President Guskiewicz and MSU leadership for a meeting in the Hannah Administration Building, which focused on the historical MSU-Canada relationship, current academic partnerships between the university and province, and opportunities for the future such as expanded collaboration in research, teaching and outreach.
Following the meeting with university leadership, the minister and agent-general toured central campus and Beaumont Tower, where they were serenaded by a carillon rendition of "Oh, Canada."
Upon their departure from campus, the minister and agent-general spoke at a closed-door roundtable of business leaders in Lansing, hosted by the Michigan Chamber of Commerce and the Detroit Regional Chamber, on the state of economic ties between Michigan and Ontario, with a particular focus on tariffs and the upcoming United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement negotiations.